Hostage
by Vinividivinci
Summary: The Continuing saga of Jack and Sam's road to marriage and parenthood.  Follows Friends and Family.  Will Jack lose everything again?  Some whump ahead.


_**Warning: Sam whump ahead.**_

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Jack asked for about the dozenth time. I can tell the President to go hang if you want. I'm sure they'll do just fine without me."

"I'll be just fine Jack. I'm healthy, I have a cell phone and the baby isn't due for another three weeks. And if I do happen to go into labor early, you'll have plenty of warning. Most first labors are slow to get going. Go and have your meeting and get it over with. You don't need to worry about me."

"Okay, if you're sure. Just don't forget to call me for _any_ reason. Keep your cell with you and I've told my staff to check in with you."

"Jaaack! I'll be fine. Just go!"

"I'm being overprotective aren't I?" he asked sheepishly. "I'm sorry", he pulled her to him and leaned his chin on her head. "I can't help it you know. You and the bump are just too important to me. I hate not being here right now."

"I know Jack", she leaned back and gently touched his cheek. "Look, I'll take extra good care of myself, okay? I'll check in with you and I won't even mind that you have people checking up on me. Just get your meeting done quickly and get home. I'll miss you."

He sighed but knew she was right. She'd be fine and he'd only be gone for a single night. He'd make damn sure the negotiations went smoothly and quickly. If any of their alien allies wanted to dither, well he'd just have to sic Teal'c on to them – either that or shoot them.

He gave Sam one last kiss and then picked up his duffel bag. "My car's here. I'll call you as soon as I get to the SGC. I just wish the Daedelus was here so I could have it beam me there and back."

"I know. You take care of yourself and don't let the aliens get you down!"

She watched as he drove away, a smile on her face. She must admit that she loved how protective he was being. She knew it had nothing to do with whether or not he thought she was competent or not. No, this was purely a demonstration of his love and caring. She also admitted that right now, near the end of her pregnancy, she relied on him a lot – mostly it was emotional rather than physical – but even there she needed some help.

With a sigh of her own she turned and headed back to the family room. She was still working, but only part-time hours now. It was too tiring to go in for full days and General Torrington was fine with her bringing work home, as long as it wasn't overly classified.

She spent the rest of the morning relaxing and reading a book. It was nice not to have to worry about anything for a change! At around 12:30 her phone rang and it was Jack telling her he'd arrived. "We're having a quick lunch and then we're heading into the meeting. I expect it'll go late – or at least it will if I have anything to say about it. I want to get things wrapped up today so I can take an early morning flight back to DC. Just remember _call me_ for anything. I've got my cell turned on."

"Okay Jack. Good luck with everything and I love you."

"Love you too babe. Talk to you later."

She sat smiling for a moment, imagining what Jack was going to be like in the meeting. He was not going to be overly patient, that was for sure. She was glad Daniel was there to temper him a bit, although she knew that was kind of unfair. Since he'd come to Washington Jack had learned to be much more diplomatic, at least on the surface. Still, he wanted this meeting over quickly so she was sure he wasn't going to allow a lot of posturing or grandstanding. No, he'd want to cut to the chase and get things done.

Sam sat reading for a little while longer and then decided to get up and fix herself some lunch. She found it hard to sit – or stand, or lie down, or _anything_ for any length of time. She was due in a little under three weeks and was feeling huge. Although healthy, she was tired and frustrated carrying around 'the bump' all the time. The doctor said the baby was big, which wasn't a surprise considering that both she and Jack were tall. Still, it felt like she was carrying around a bowling ball.

She suddenly decided that she was craving something simple. She wanted a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. She walked slowly into the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients. All was ready to go until she went to open the bread bin and found only the heel of the bread.

"Shoot!" she muttered. Jack had obviously been hungry this morning and had eaten up the rest of the loaf. She was positive there'd been a few slices left last night. She looked around halfheartedly for something else but the fact was, she wanted a grilled cheese sandwich.

Darn – she was just going to have to go to the store and pick up a loaf. She hated having to drive – it was difficult to even fit behind the wheel. She grabbed her wallet, cell phone and keys and headed out to the driveway. She got into their car, a recently purchased Audi hatchback that they figured would be good for all the baby paraphernalia they were going to need, as well as being a fun car to drive. Jack had laughed, saying that they were becoming too domestic. "At least it's not a van", she'd argued.

She was on her way to the supermarket when she passed a small convenience store. Making a sudden decision, she pulled into the parking lot. She could get a loaf of bread here just as easily and it would save a longer trip. Grabbing her wallet and keys, she put her cell phone in her pocket and headed into the store.

She walked into the store and asked the man behind the desk where the bread was located. He pointed her in the right direction and she walked slowly to the back of the store, passing two adolescent girls who were standing, giggling, by the magazine racks. From her quick glance it looked like they were looking at pictures of Justin Beber. She smiled, remembering her own youthful crush on Sean Cassidy and 'the Fonz'. She was pretty sure he was the reason she'd gotten in to motorbikes.

She found the bread isle and was just pulling out a loaf when she heard a yell and a gunshot. Dropping the bread she tried to see what was happening. Just then she heard another shout, followed by a shot and then a scream. She glanced over to the two young girls and saw them on the ground.

Oh god, don't tell me they've been shot, she thought. She crouched down as much as she was able, unsure of what was happening. When she looked at the girls again she could see them moving slightly. One of them opened her eyes and looked right at Sam. Thank goodness! They didn't seem to be hurt after all, just frightened.

The next thing any of them knew, a man with a mask over his face walked over to the girls and held a shot gun on them. He was tall and very skinny. He was wearing jeans, with the knees ripped out, and a kangaroo jacket with the hood pulled up over his hair.

"GET UP, GET UP, GET UP" he shouted. Trembling, and barely able to stand, the two slowly stood, clutching on to each other. "Don't you try anything or I'll kill you, do you understand me!"

The girls both nodded, but were clearly unable to speak, they were so terrified. Sam stayed still, crouched partially down, and prayed the man wouldn't turn her way. She very cautiously put her hand in her pocket and fumbled around a bit until she was able to hit 911 on her speed dial. She muted the phone, but prayed someone on the other end would be listening.

Unfortunately luck wasn't with her, for at that very moment the man glanced over, having sensed something.

"Hey you! LADY! Get over here. What the hell are you doing over there?"

"What's going on man?", a voice could be heard calling from the front of the store.

"There's a couple of girls back here and a pregnant lady", the masked man gestured with his gun. "Stand with the girls there and don't move. What the hell were you doing?"

"I was just buying bread", Sam answered calmly. She could tell from his tone of voice that the gunman was freaking out and, as a result, was extremely dangerous. She kept her hand on her stomach, as if by doing so she could protect her baby. She'd never been so frightened in her life, and that was saying something, considering all the things she'd experienced. Now, though, she had a new life to protect and for the first time felt what is was to be a mother.

"Get over here", he said again, waving his gun back and forth. Once Sam was standing next to the shaking young girls the gunman told them to walk to the front of the store.

When they arrived, it was to see another masked man who was also carrying a gun. The older man behind the counter was collapsed against the back wall, his hand to his stomach. Blood was seeping out from between his fingers and he looked about ready to collapse.

"He wouldn't give me the money", the man at the counter said. "I told him – I told him just give it to me and we'd go but he wouldn't do it!"

"There – is – no money", gasped the man.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP", the first gunman screamed. This one was much shorter and stouter than other and seemed older. Sam wondered if he was the one in charge, although from his words he was almost as disturbed as the taller guy.

"You", short guy pointed to Sam, "Go and see if there's any money there. Give me whatever's in the register."

"Okay", she said, again trying to be calm and not upset the two men worse than they were. "I'm going to walk around the counter and I'll check." The whole time she talked, she kept her arms up high. She began to walk slowly, cautiously towards the counter, all the while aware of the gun pointed at her. She rounded the counter and moved to the open drawer of the register. "There's nothing in it", she answered. "I don't see any money at all."

"It's gotta be there. Look harder", the taller of the two shouted.

She nodded and carefully pulled out the money tray. "There's a 50 dollar bill under the drawer." She held it up slowly and the older robber leaned over and grabbed it from her hand. He then turned to the bleeding store clerk. "Where's the rest of it?"

"I told you", he gasped. "It's all in the safe. I'm required to deposit the money every hour. I don' t have the combination and I can't get into it."

"You're lying!"

"No, no he's not", Sam intervened. "It's a common practice now. It's meant to protect stores from robberies. See, it's even on the sign on the door.

"Who the hell asked you bitch? Get out from behind there and go stand next to those crying brats."

Sam made her way out from behind the counter and towards the two young girls who where holding on to each other and crying. "It's okay", she told them. "Just keep calm and this will be over soon."

"They're going to kill us", one of the girls cried.

"Not if we don't upset them." She looked up to see the two men arguing. She couldn't figure out why they didn't just turn around and leave the store. They obviously weren't going to get any more money and the longer they stayed, the more chance was that they'd get caught.

Just then the store clerk groaned and fell down unconscious onto the floor. She knew if he didn't get attention soon, he'd bleed to death.

"You killed the guy", the tall one spoke. "God, you said this would be easy – that we'd come in and get enough to able to buy some crank. We only got 50 bucks – and you killed a guy. What're we gonna do?"

"I know, I know. Just let me think."

"If you leave now you'll have time to get away. Once you're gone we can get the clerk to a doctor – he's probably just unconscious."

The two men looked at her, their covered faces looking eerily the same and both completely blank.

She's right Zack. Let's get out of here."

"Shut up you moron! What the hell are you doing? God!" The leader of the little duo – Zack, it appeared – looked wildly around the store, clearly unsure what to do. "Okay, okay, let's go. But we've gotta lock these people up so they don't call the cops."

"If you lock us up this man might die", Sam said calmly, trying to keep from upsetting the duo.

"SHUT UP!" Zack screamed. "Shut your f'n trap!"

"Let's just go man. I wanna get out of here."

"You, lady", Zack pointed at Sam. "You take the chicks and walk to the back of the store. Don't try anything or I'll kill you."

Just as Sam turned to move back, gesturing to the two adolescent girls to come with her, she heard the bell on the front door tinkle as someone opened it. Everything happened so quickly then that it was hard to know what happened exactly.

All Sam knew was that she heard the door and then, next thing there was screaming and shots were fired. She felt a sharp pain and fell over, gasping. One of the young girls sobbed and fell to the ground with her.

"My baby", Sam gasped, holding her hand over the wound on her abdomen. "My baby!"

* * *

><p>The phone in the conference room stopped the conversation dead. Everyone looked at it as if it was an alien object and it took a moment before anyone thought to answer it. It was Daniel who finally stood up and picked up the receiver.<p>

"Daniel Jackson." He stood for a few seconds, his face growing more serious as listened to what the person on the other end was saying. "Yes, I'll tell him. We'll be there as soon as possible."

He hung up the phone and for a brief second looked frozen.

"What is it Daniel?" Jack asked with a frown. He wondered who in the world it could be.

"Jack, can I talk to you a minute – in private please?"

He was about to question the younger man but something in his expression stopped him. "Okay. Hank can we use your office?"

He quickly made his way into the office, followed by Daniel. "Okay, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Jack – that was the police in DC. There was a robbery at a convenience store and Sam was there."

There had only been one time in his life when the world had come to a crashing halt, when he knew that the absolute worst had happened and that there was nothing he could do to reverse time and change things. Right here, right now, it happened again. He stood staring at Daniel, unable to move or to breath or to talk. He felt like he was walking on a precipice and he knew that any moment he was going to fall off and plunge into darkness.

"How – is she -?" he finally managed to get out.

"They don't know. All they know is that there are two men and they're holding Sam and some others as hostages."

"We've – I've –" God, he couldn't think.

"Jack, sit down. I'm going to get Landry and we'll arrange a transport right away. I'll go back with you to DC. Don't worry. I'll handle everything."

Jack looked at him and gave a small nod – it was all he could do.

By the time Daniel had returned he'd managed to pull himself together. There was no point panicking. She was a hostage – okay, that was bad – but she was smart and would know to do the right things. She wouldn't take any stupid chances. Hopefully they'd talk the guys out and everyone would be okay.

"All right Jack, Landry's arranging a plane. It'll be waiting for us when we get to Petersen. Teal'c is coming too."

"Okay", he answered, more calmly than he felt. "What about" he nodded toward the conference room.

"Don't worry about that. The General explained and he'll continue with the negotiations. I'm going to go grab some things from my locker and I'll meet you up top in 10 minutes.

Everything was expedited quickly and they were in the air, flying, within the hour. There were perks to being a General in the Air Force he realized. Still, as quick as he knew everything had been, it still felt like they were moving in slow motion. There was a heavy dread in his stomach and he wanted to scream to everybody to hurry up – to move faster, although in reality he knew they were going as fast as they could.

He'd called a couple of times but was told there was nothing new to report. The criminals were still in the convenience store and, at present, were refusing to talk to negotiators. The police officer told Jack he'd let him know as soon as there was news.

"Damn it! I knew I should have stayed home", he pounded his fist on the arm of the seat. "Why the hell did I have to be there anyway? You or Landry could have handled things just fine. How the hell much more do I have to give up for the damn Air Force? When are we going to have a life of our own?"

Daniel and Teal'c sat quietly, knowing that there really wasn't much they could say. They'd tried to reassure Jack, but both knew that it was practically meaningless. He knew, as well as they did, that Sam was capable – he also knew that these kind of situations were highly dangerous. It could go either way and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

"Just three more weeks", he said, "and the baby would be here. So what do I have to do but come out here and babysit a bunch of god-damned whining aliens who wouldn't know their ass from a tea kettle!"

Teal'c cocked his head at the allusion and raised his eyebrow, but didn't speak. He glanced at Daniel Jackson who simply grimaced and shrugged. They both knew it was better for Jack to let out steam. They'd really start to worry when and if he grew silent. His anger was much better and much healthier than brooding, which he could turn to easily.

When they arrived in DC a car was waiting for them. The driver turned out to be one of Jack's staff. "General", Captain Francis saluted. "Nothing has changed Sir. I'll take you immediately to where the hostage situation is taking place, although the SWAT team has told us we won't be able to get too close."

"Thank you Captain", Jack said quietly. Like hell was he going to stay back. It's not like he was an amateur at these kinds of things. The rest of the drive occurred in silence, each of the men thinking about the woman they cared about and what might happen. Each of them also sent a prayer – to whatever deity or force of nature they believed in – that she would be okay.

They arrived twenty minutes later, to see police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and press. There seemed to be all sorts of activity and shouting. Jack practically jumped out of the car and ran towards where there seemed to be some sort of control center. A police officer tried to stop him but he flipped up his ID and kept going. Teal'c and Daniel followed at a slightly slower pace and explained to the policeman who they were.

"What's happening?" Daniel asked.

"There were more shots fired and the SWAT team moved in. They shot both of the armed robbers."

"And the hostages?"

"I don't know for sure. I've heard that one person is dead and a couple others are wounded. I was told that the person killed was a pregnant woman, but I don't know that for sure."

"Mai'tac shree h'rapta!"

Daniel didn't take the time to try and decipher Teal'c's hissed words, but he was pretty sure they conveyed the horror he was feeling. They had to find Jack, and quickly. "Come on Teal'c, let's go."

Jack had managed to make his way to the front of the crowd, just in time to see an ambulance take off. He noticed two young girls with blankets over their shoulders. They were sobbing and were being led to another ambulance. He looked wildly around trying to find someone who could tell him what had happened. There was a crowd of people standing behind a barricade, watching everything. He turned to a young man who looked like he may have been there for a while.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked.

"Yeah, there was a hostage taking. Nothing happened for a long time and all of a sudden we heard a shot and then the SWAT guys moved in. There was more shooting and a few minutes later the paramedics went in. They brought out a bunch of people – one was dead, had the face covered and everything, and a couple of others were wounded – they were hooked up to IV's. They took them to hospital in the ambulance."

"Yeah", an older lady standing next to the young man spoke. "I heard that they killed a pregnant woman."

* * *

><p>"Oh my God, you've been shot!" the young girl was on her knees next to Sam. She was crying but wanted to help.<p>

"I – know. Please", Sam said, feeling numb, "Help me stop the bleeding." She was so afraid that the bullet had killed her baby. All she knew was that she'd felt a burning pain in her side and the baby had stopped moving. Oh God – if it was dead, she didn't know how she'd survive. "Jack" she whispered. She didn't even want to think what this would do to him.

"What the hell did you do?" Zack screamed. "You shot a pregnant woman you moron. Now they're really going to come after us. We gotta get out of here."

"I – I didn't mean to. It was an accident. What about the guy who came in?"

"I don't know – he ran off although I think I shot him."

"Ah hell – we gotta get out of here." The two men turned toward the door, just as a loudspeaker could be heard outside.

"This is the Washington Police department. We have the building surrounded. Lay down your weapons and come out of the building with your hands up and no one will get hurt."

"Shit! Oh God – now what are we going to do? We're gonna go to jail Zack. You said this would be easy and now we're gonna spend the rest of our lives in jail."

"Shut up Nate. Shut the hell up! I can't take your whining and complaining any more. Let me think!"

"Here", the young girl – she said her name was Amanda – held a roll of paper towels she'd managed to grab from one of the shelves. "Will this do?"

"Just – fold up a whole bunch of them – and then hold them on the wound." Sam was feeling weak and lightheaded – she didn't know if it was shock or blood loss – or probably both. She looked at the other young girl – what was her name? Oh, Emma, that's right. "Emma, kneel down here and stay calm. Try not to cry or to make them notice you. Hopefully it'll be over soon."

Amanda finally had the paper towels ready. Sam could see that her face was pale, but she was trying to be strong. "That's it. Good girl. Now help me hold them to the wound to stop the bleeding. She guided the young girl's hand, but couldn't help the 'hiss' that escaped when she pressed down on the wound. There was still no movement from the baby, but she tried not to think about that right now. She had to watch out for these girls.

She heard the two men arguing softly over by the cash register. They were crouched down so as not to be seen by the people outside. Sam figured that the emergency dispatch had heard her phone – either that or the person who had come in a while ago had reported it.

"I think the bleeding has stopped", Amanda said.

"Good. Emma, can you fold up some more towels and we'll use those as fresh bandages. Just move slowly so you don't startle the men."

Emma nodded and began to fold up the towels. For now, the two robbers weren't paying them much attention. They were trying to figure a way out of this mess.

Sam had moved into the recovery position, knowing it was important to try to keep herself from going into shock. Amanda took the clean paper towels and switched them for the bloody ones but continued to keep her hand tightly over the wound.

"Is your baby okay?" she asked after a few seconds.

Sam closed her eyes and could feel the tears slip out. "I don't know", she answered softly.

"I'm sorry", the young girl whispered. "I – I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay. Look if we just stay calm, I'm sure everything's going to be okay."

The two robbers had finally taken off their masks and they had made their way over to the hostages. "What are you doing?" Zack asked. He was younger that Sam had thought – he could only be 23 or 24 at the most. His friend – Nate – looked to be no more than about 18.

"I'm just helping to stop the bleeding", Amanda said, her voice shaking in fear.

"Yeah – well lady you shoulda stayed still otherwise I wouldn't of had to shoot you!"

"She didn't do anything", Emma cried. "You shot her and you've probably killed her baby."

Nate looked horrified but if anything, Zack just looked angry. "It's her fault!" he shouted. "I didn't want to hurt anybody. We just wanted our money and then we were gonna leave. It's not my fault this happened. It's that damned clerk. He should have just given me my money!"

"There's nothing you can do now Zack", Sam spoke carefully and calmly. As much as she was lying there in pain, and terrified about her baby, she knew that their lives were in danger and they had to be very careful to get out of this alive."

"Look, so far we're just injured. If you give up now you won't be facing a murder charge. If you wait though, you will. And a murder committed while doing another crime – that's probably going to be the rest of your life in prison, at the least. If you let us go now, you'll still have a chance at a life. You know there's no other way you can get out of this. They're not going to let you go."

"Wanna make a bet", Zack answered after a brief silence. "I have two really good hostages here" he grabbed Emma's arm. "They're not gonna shoot me if I've got her and the other one. They'll have to let me go."

"Do you really think so? Do you think there's anywhere you _can _go where they won't find you? You'll spend your life as a fugitive with nothing."

"I'll leave the country! I'll go somewhere where they can't find me."

"Do you really believe there is such a place? And what country would take you in? If you were rich, maybe, but with nothing – they don't want a poor fugitive. Zach you'd be much better off to just give up."

"Never!"

"Zack, she's right. Come on, let's give up. At least that way we'll be alive."

"In prison! That's worse than dying."

"No it's not. Come on, she's right. The guy up front is still alive and so's she. If they get help they'll be okay and we won't get such a bad sentence."

"Are you crazy? We've shot two people while committing armed robbery. We'll be old men before we get out of jail. There's no way I'm gonna go to prison, no way. "

The two stood there arguing while Sam just rested, the two girls sitting close by her. Amanda checked the wound every few minutes but it seemed as if the bleeding had stopped.

Suddenly the arguing started to escalate to shouting, and the next thing they knew Nate and Zach were fighting. It looked as if Nate, the taller of the two, was trying to wrestle the gun out of his companion's hands.

"Come on", Sam said quickly. "Let's move." With the help of the girls they slid to the back of the store, behind some shelves. It was just in time as they heard gunshots from inside the store and a gasp of pain. The next thing they knew, they heard glass breaking and what sounded like an army advancing on the store.

"Keep down", she said to the girls, "and cover your heads. Don't get up or look up."

"What's happening?" cried Emma through the shouts and gunshots.

"I think it's the police."

The noise continued for what seemed like forever, but was probably less than a minute. Suddenly, things were totally quiet. After a pause, they heard footsteps coming closer. Amanda and Emma grabbed Sam's hands and held on tight.

"Are you ladies okay?" a new voice asked. They looked up to see a man in full SWAT gear looking down at them.

"We're fine, but Sam's hurt", Amanda said. The man approached and squatted down. He immediately pulled out a radio.

"We have a wounded woman here", he said. "She's pregnant and it looks like she's been shot." After he was finished speaking he put his radio away and put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Everything will be okay Ma'am. Help is on its way and we'll have you in the hospital real fast."

She nodded but was unable to speak. She felt weaker now and knew she was halfway to passing out. She hoped it was just the relief and sudden drop in adrenaline rushing through her system. She really didn't know how seriously she'd been hurt.

If it hadn't have been for the baby, she didn't think it would be too bad, but now, she just didn't know. All she did know was that she desperately wanted Jack and he was in Colorado. She wondered if he'd been told.

The next few minutes were a blur as she was helped by the paramedics and then loaded onto the gurney. She stayed conscious, although only half aware, as they made their way to the hospital, sirens blazing. The only thing she did was tell the Emergency technician her name and to please call her husband.

* * *

><p>Jack thought he was going to pass out. He had to reach out and grab the barrier fence to keep from falling over.<p>

"Hey, you okay?" the young man asked. "Are you sick? Do you need help?"

"Wha -?" He couldn't think – he just knew his world had fallen apart.

"Jack" suddenly hands reached out and grabbed him. "Come on Jack, you've got to sit down."

"Sam", he gasped.

"She's been taken to hospital Jack. Come on", Daniel said as he made Jack sit and bend over, trying to get the blood circulating again. "I spoke to one of the officers who said she'd been taken to the hospital. As soon as you're better we'll head over there."

Jack took a few deep breaths. "She's not – they said a pregnant woman – was"

"I know but someone else said she was okay. There's lots of stuff flying around. Are you okay now?"

Jack nodded and reached his hand out. Teal'c quietly grasped his arm and helped him up. He would have fallen over again except for his two friends who walked either side of him and helped him make it back to the car.

They drove quickly to the hospital, both Teal'c and Daniel watching Jack carefully. He'd seemed to age tremendously just since this morning and suddenly seemed frail. He was trying desperately hard to hang on to his emotions and not let the fear destroy him, but they could tell it was hard.

He again jumped out of the car, Daniel and Teal'c in quick pursuit, as soon as they arrived at the Emergency entrance. He ran up to the counter.

"My wife was brought in. Samantha Carter-O'Neill. She was involved in the hostage taking incident. Is she okay? Where is she?"

"Just a moment Sir, I'll check. Please have a seat." The nurse looked compassionately at the man in front of her and then looked relieved when she saw his friends arrive. She picked up her phone and called. "Yes, I have a" she looked up,

"General O'Neill", he answered.

"I have General O'Neill here. He says his wife is the woman who was brought in from the hostage taking incident." She listened for a moment. "Okay, I'll let him know."

She hung up and smiled gently. "The doctors are with her now. Someone will be out in just a few minutes to talk to you. Just have a seat there and we'll let you know as soon as we can."

Daniel had to again help him over to the chair. He sat for a few moments but then got up and wandered aimlessly around the waiting room. He stopped briefly by a small play area, filled with toys. Daniel felt tears gather in his eyes at the sight. This could not be happening, he thought. Not now, not to Jack of all people. He knew that if they lost Sam, that this would destroy his friend. He didn't even want to think about the baby.

"General O'Neill?" a male voice called from the doors to the Emergency wing.

"Yes, that's me", he answered quickly, walking towards the man dressed in hospital scrubs.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Yassir. Would you like to come with me?" You can come and see your wife now."

"Is she – okay?" he asked, his voice breaking.

"She'll be fine", the man answered. "Dr. Fleming is just finishing up but she wanted to see you."

Jack had to grab the wall because he thought his legs were going to give out on him. He followed the doctor into a small curtained area. Sam lay in the bed, pale, with tears down her cheeks – but she was alive! God – he'd never seen such a beautiful sight in his life.

"Sam", he said softly.

"JACK!' she looked at him and held her hand out. The nurse standing by the bed smiled and moved away, allowing him to come closer. She clutched him desperately, and immediately burst into tears – loud, noisy, uncontrollable tears.

All he could hear through her crying was something about the baby. His heart sank – sure that meant that they had lost their child. He was still in a state of relief and joy over the fact that Sam was okay – but he knew agony was just around the corner. He really didn't know how he was going to survive this, but he knew he had to, for her sake. There was no way he was going to let this destroy what they had together, not like he'd done with Sara.

He held on to her as she continued to cry. The doctors and nurses had all left and there were no machines of any kind, so he assumed that the wound to her couldn't have been too bad. Still, he's seen that that they'd been working on her abdomen and that said it all. He wondered what was next.

Just then he felt something strange. He wasn't quite sure what it was until it happened again. Something had hit him, gently, in the side. At first he thought it was Sam, but her arms were both draped around his neck.

He pulled back from her slightly and glanced down. That's when he saw it. Her gown was moving – from underneath! He could see a little bump as it moved around her tummy. Realizing it was a tiny foot or elbow moving around he softly and gently reached down and placed his hand on her stomach. He immediately felt as his son or daughter let him know he or she was there – and was still alive and kicking.

"Sam?" he looked at the tear-filled eyes of his wife.

"It's fine Jack – the baby is fine."

"God – I thought!" he lay his head on her shoulder, suddenly feeling like _he_ wanted to burst into tears.

"The bullet just creased me along the ribs. Amanda – she was one of the girls who was with me – managed to stop the bleeding quickly. I just needed some stitches and they've given me antibiotics and a pain killer, but otherwise they said I'll be fine, and so will the baby. They want to keep me overnight for observation, but I can go home in the morning."

He couldn't lift his head, otherwise he'd be embarrassed. He knew the tears were running uncontrollably down his face. He was quiet, but he couldn't stop crying. He'd thought he had lost her – then he had thought he's lost his child – he didn't know quite how to react now. Everything was fine – his wonderful life, the life he'd waited for so long, hadn't fallen apart. He was overjoyed – but also in shock.

"Jack?" she tried to make him lift his head but he just shook it. "Jack, come on, look at me." When he shook his head again she simply began to stroke the back of his head. She didn't know all he'd been through, but she could imagine how he was feeling – and also that he'd be embarrassed by showing so much. She felt terrible at what he'd been through, but grateful that things had turned out. For a while there she'd wondered if this was it – that someone just didn't want them to be happy. Now, however, she believed that things were going to be fine. This had shown her, more than anything, that in this lifetime, in this universe, and in this reality, the two of them were meant to be together.

"Jack, sweetheart, everything is fine. Are you okay?"

He nodded and she heard a small laugh. He finally lifted his head and quickly wiped his cheeks of any telltale moisture. "They told me you'd been killed", he finally explained.

"They? -What? Who?"

"Someone at the scene. I went there first and there were people there. They told me a pregnant woman had been killed. I thought I'd lost you Sam", he said. His voice almost broke her heart.

"No way", she said firmly. "I'm not leaving you Jack O'Neill – not for anything." She reached out and drew him to her and gently kissed his cheek. "I love you and we're going to be happy. Nothing – here or out there is going to prevent that!"

"I also – when I came in and saw you – I thought – I thought – the baby."

"Oh – God Jack, I'm sorry – and my bursting into tears didn't help! I was scared too- the bump stopped moving after I was shot and I thought – but when we arrived here they did an ultrasound and then I instantly felt him or her start to move again. The doctor said that the baby probably stopped moving in order to let my body work on trying to conserve energy. Once the baby knew I was okay, he or she started up again."

"Good for you kid", Jack spoke to her tummy. "You keep looking after your Mom like that."

They stayed quietly talking and holding each other until the nurse returned to check Sam's vital signs. "We're bringing a gurney to take you to a private room Mrs. O'Neill", she said. "Everything is looking good, but the Doctor wants to keep you here over night just to make sure." She turned to Jack. "You're welcome to stay with her, but I think your friends out in the waiting room are a little worried."

"Oh hell, I forgot about Danny and Teal'c."

Sam laughed. "You'd better go and let them know everything is okay – then you can come up to my room once I'm settled." She returned his kiss and watched as he left the cubicle.

"He certainly loves you", the nurse said. "I saw his face when he first arrived – he looked like he'd lost the most important thing in his world – then when he saw you, it was clear that he'd found it."

Sam gave the nurse a wobbly smile. "He's the most important thing in my world too", she said. "And I plan to make sure he knows that every day of his life."

Jack made his way out into the waiting room, a very different man than when he'd walked in. He was still feeling emotional and a little shaky, but his world had righted itself. He couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face.

So, when he walked out into the room where Daniel and Teal'c sat, both looking frightened, the first thing they saw was a broadly smiling Jack.

"Oh God Jack – she's okay?" Daniel said, jumping to his feet.

"She's fine – it was just a minor wound", he replied, practically laughing.

"And your child O'Neill?"

"It's fine too! They're just keeping her in overnight for observation, and then I can take her home tomorrow."

"That's great! Oh man, I can't tell you how worried we were. Thank god everything's okay."

"Yeah – and thank you guys for being with me. I couldn't have managed today – without you."

"Hey, what are friends for Jack?"

He gave them the keys to his place and told them to make themselves at home. Both men then sent their love to Sam. "Tell her we'll see her in the morning."

Jack slowly made his way back into the Emergency Room. He stopped briefly and gathered himself a little bit. He took a deep breath and then walked forward to where his love – his partner – his life – was waiting. He suddenly felt like the luckiest man in the world.


End file.
